Redemption
by twilightscallingme
Summary: What if Remus had been the one who recognized Peter Pettigrew that day on the front cover of The Daily Prophet? What if he had spilled the truth to Albus Dumbledore and Sirius had been freed? How would Harry's life had been different? AU
1. prologue

disclaimer: not mine. JKR owns all of the rights.

Remus Lupin sat facing forward with no emotion present anywhere on his body. He occupied the second seat in the front row, nearly alone, save for two people.

The person directly to his right was Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (along with numerous other awards accredited to his name). Albus was, arguably, the greatest wizard of the age; he was also the second most famous wizard in the world. Until a few days prior to the this event, he was the most famous wizard. Then infant Harry James Potter defeated the Dark Lord and the word spread quickly.

The person to Remus' left hand side was Petunia Dursley, nee Evans. Remus had met her once, quite briefly, at Lily and James Potter's wedding. Petunia had not spoken to Remus - or anyone, for that matter - and left the second the ceremony was over. Lily, Remus remembered fondly, had been quite hurt by her older sister's acts. Her green eyes swelled with tears and James Potter had done his best job to comfort his young bride.

Never again would James be able to comfort Lily.

After all, that was why everyone was gathered today. They were here in celebration of the life (and death) of Lily and James Potter. They were the bravest people that Remus had ever been fortunate enough to know. 21, he knew, was far too young to be dead.

Sure, he had been afraid for his friends, but what could he do? There had been a traitor amongst them. Now, far too late, they knew who it was. Sirius Orion Black, the man that James Potter had chosen for his best man; the man that Lily and James had chosen to be their son's godfather, had betrayed them. He was the one who sold Lily and James to Lord Voldemort. He was the reason that Lily and James were gone.

When he had arrived at the funeral, Remus had walked up the few steps to the open caskets where his friends rested. He had done it to pay his respects; he had done it to say goodbye to his best friends. The waxy figures inside the boxes had been silent and still. Remus Lupin could not recall a time in his life that he remembered seeing James so... _still_. And Lily! Their precious Lily was gone as well. They had died defending their son.

Remus' thoughts flew to the infant as the priest droned on about the magic that the love of Lily and James had created. Harry was hardly over a year old and he was now an orphan. Harry, Dumbledore had explained to him, was now living with his aunt and uncle. The same people that hated the "abnormalities" produced by magic. They didn't understand the ways of the wizarding world. They didn't understand how the magical world worked. The stiff woman who sat next to him - long necked and horse faced - was not a part of his world; she'd never understand the boy-who-lived as well as someone in Remus' world would.

Suddenly the shabbily dressed man gasped and he felt his body shudder once, twice, three times. He felt his cheeks grow hot under liquid that seemed to be pouring down his face. And yet, he remained sitting and facing front.

The old wizard who sat next to the weeping 21 year old boy - men were stronger than _this_ - placed a comforting arm around the boy and leaned close. "It's okay, Remus. They're in a better place now. They're better off."

Remus shook his head. Harsh words poured from his mouth in a deadly whisper: "Better off? And what of Harry!?" Lily and James couldn't possibly be better off dead. They couldn't. They should be alive and able to watch Harry grow up! They should be there to tell him how special he was and how much he was loved and all about the trouble that James and Remus and Sirius and Peter had gotten into at school. They should have been there for Harry; not this pale imitation of someone who might care for the boy eventually that sat next to Remus.

"He'll be treated well. I assure you of this," Dumbledore replied calmly, not at all worried by Remus' harsh tone.

Remus continued to keep his gaze stony and straight ahead as Dumbledore spoke. It was harder than he thought. He wanted to hit the old man. This was his fault! The stupid bloody Order of the Phoenix! If it hadn't been for that, Lily and James might still be alive! Peter might be alive! "He would have been fine with me," Remus hissed back. Petunia slightly turned her head from the priest, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"You know you can't," Dumbledore replied softly, trying to ease the blow. There were only so many ways that you could tell someone that they were completely unqualified. It wasn't even Remus' fault, but there was nothing that anyone could do about it.

Remus couldn't take this. Three of his closest friends were dead because of another friend. Three of his friends wouldn't get to see Harry James Potter grow up into what Remus knew would be the greatest wizard to ever live. If the events of the past week hadn't been proof of that, you just had to look at his parents. Three of Remus' friends wouldn't be there to take care of him during his monthly transformations; two dead, one laughing his whole was to Azkaban, the Wizarding Prison.

Life wasn't fair, Remus had realized long ago. It was one thing for life to be unfair towards Remus - the lycanthropy had been something he had dealt with for about sixteen years now. People weren't supposed to die at the age of 21. People were supposed to grow up and be best friends and live forever and die in old age. Not at 21; not when there was a child to be raised. Why didn't Dumbledore understand that?

Without warning, Remus' body shook violently as a sob escaped his lips that were pressed into a thin line. Quickly, he stood up and knocked the chair to the ground as he stormed away from the final resting site of Lily and James Potter. He couldn't do this. He didn't care about the people staring at him as he stormed away from the cemetery. It was too nice of a day to waste doing this; the whole world should be mourning Remus' loss!

As soon as he reached the road, Remus disapparated to the small flat that he had been sharing with Sirius Black. Now it was his place, Sirius' stuff strewn about. This wasn't right. He needed to sell the place as soon as possible. Sirius had always kept fire whiskey in the flat and that was what Remus was looking for as he flung the cupboards open. Finding none, Remus slumped to the floor and cried. It was a good thing that he didn't find the fire whiskey, anyway, because tomorrow would be a repeat of today. Another funeral, for another friend who, perhaps, Remus should have paid a bit more of attention to and been nicer to. Another funeral with fake smiles and words that sounded like "you'll be fine" and more goodbyes that Remus wasn't sure he could take.

Remus Lupin, planner extraordinaire, was going to be forced to learn how to take life one day at a time.


	2. one

disclaimer: not mine. JKR owns all of the rights.

.twelve years later.

Remus Lupin sat in uncomfortable silence in a chair in Albus Dumbledore's office. Minerva McGonagall, the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts, had lead him up to the Headmaster's office. At the password (gum drops), the two gargoyles guarding the passage way had jumped out of the way. McGonagall had assured Remus that the ancient Headmaster would join him soon enough.

So, alone he sat.

But the thing about being in Dumbledore's office was that you were never truly alone. Not really. Even if the portraits that lined the office hadn't been there, Remus would have still had memories to keep him company. How many times had he been in these walls as a younger man? Thirty-three wasn't too horribly old, but it wasn't the same age he had been when he graduated from the prestigious school.

Sneaking a sideways glance to the chairs that were next to his, Remus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. For a second, he thought for sure that he'd see James or Peter (or even the filthy traitor of a friend Sirius) sitting next to him, wearing that expression that said _'you've got the wrong person! I clearly do not know what you're talking about, Professor!_' As students, the boys had spent most of their free time in this office. Something about a knack for causing trouble.

Normally it wasn't Remus that caused the trouble. Normally it was James or Sirius. They just had Peter and Remus along for the ride. It had been nice. For his whole life, Remus had never thought it would be possible for him to belong. Then, at age eleven, he started to attend the school and he made three friends. When they found out that he was a werewolf... they hadn't abandoned him. Rather, they embraced him for who he was and even became illegal animagi (that is, wizards who could turn into animals at will) to help him through transformations.

Within days, all of that had been ripped away from Remus as the hand of Sirius Black.

_Stop, Remus. This isn't the time or place; you're supposed to be beyond such pettiness. It's been twelve years. Give it a rest, for now. You could really use this job,_ Remus reminded himself silently as the panel from the staircase slid open. Remus turned slightly so that he could see the elderly wizard enter. Quickly, Remus stood to his feet.

"Sit, my dear boy," Albus Dumbledore replied and Remus obliged. Dumbledore quickly made his way around to the other side of the desk and picked up a small bowl of candies. "Lemon drop?"

The offer had always amused Remus Lupin. Here you had one of the greatest wizards to ever live, and he had a fondness for muggle candy. Not that there was anything wrong with muggles or candy! It was just funny to see. "Thank you," Remus said softly as he reached across to take one. They were good. More memories of his boyhood friends as he popped it into his mouth. Once, on a dare, Sirius had stuffed no less than thirty-nine lemon drops in his mouth at once.

Forcing himself not to remember the good times, Remus stared bright eyed at Dumbledore for the briefest of seconds before turning his attention downwards. The robes that he wore were his best ones, and even then they were heavily frayed and quite shabby. The color had started to fade from them and they were graying in more places than he could count. They were hand-me-downs; the best Remus Lupin could afford.

Being a werewolf did not make you a popular employee. Yet, Albus Dumbledore never cared about what would make him a popular man and he often did the opposite of what people suspected he would do. Allowing Remus to attend school as a young man had been one of those things that had thrilled Remus to no end. He was certain that he would never learn magic at Hogwarts and his parents had been resigned to buying him books on numerous subjects. He was well versed by the time Dumbledore came to his house to offer him a place at the school.

Now Dumbledore was giving him an even greater gift: a chance at a job. Remus knew that there were other possible candidates, but rumors made it seem like it wasn't a popular position. Of course Remus had heard what had happened to the teachers previously. The position had last been filled by that author boy Lockhart, who, as Remus heard, was still recovering - and would most likely remain there for the rest of his life - in St. Mungo's.

Not a pretty fate.

Yet Remus needed the money, the job, the stability. He had once again been evicted from another apartment for being unable to pay rent on time. About a month after Lily and James' funeral, Remus had left the place that he had shared with Sirius Black. Instead of burning everything that they had owned together, though, he had shrunk everything and it remained in one of the few boxes he took from place to place with him. He hadn't opened it in twelve years, but he had it.

"So, Remus. What brings you to this interview?" asked Dumbledore, his magnificent blue eyes twinkling in the odd lighting of the room.

"Well, sir, I'm quite unemployable and I just... I know a lot about dark creatures and defense against the dark arts was always one of my favorite classes as a student. I believe that I have a lot of things to offer the school," Remus said softly. He was anxious, nervous. If he didn't get this job, he wasn't quite sure what he would do.

"I believe that you are more than qualified," Dumbledore agreed, smiling at Remus brightly. He hadn't meant to scare the boy; as long as he would accept the offer, Dumbledore would hire him in a heart beat. "I would like to offer you the position."

_Without even a proper interview?_ Remus was shocked into silence for a moment. Finally, he found his voice, although it was a bit shakey. Could this be happening? "Thank you, Sir. That's very generous of you. But what about my, ah, condition?" Remus asked

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure that you've heard of the newly formulated wolfsbane potion?"

"Of course," Remus said, nodding his head. He hadn't tried any, but... well, he had been hoping that he would one day be allotted the choice of attempting to take it just once. The transformations were still painful and Remus still ended up with tons of new scars and scratches. The wolf in him just hated himself so much.

"Have you ever had it?" Dumbledore inquired, curiosity brimming in his eyes.

Remus shook his head and ran a hand through his light colored hair. "No, no one has ever... well, it's hard to make and people who are willing to make it are hard to come by." That was more than the truth. It was so hard to come by someone who didn't fear him.

Dumbledore nodded and pressed his long finger tips together, thoughtful. "Severus Snape would be more than willing and ready to make the potion for you." Remus must have pulled a face because Dumbledore added, "Remus, he's kept your secret all of this time. He won't poison you under my watch."

Remus nodded and inhaled deeply. He was not looking forward to this. He really did not want to have to deal with relying on Severus Snape to help him through his 'special time of month,' as Lily had referred to it as. But if Dumbledore said that it was safe... Remus would trust him. He owed Dumbledore much more than he could explain. He wanted to teach. It would be fun and new and it would be a stable job. It was something that he could do with pride and pleasure.

Dumbledore leaned back in his seat and pressed his long fingers together once more. His blue eyes twinkled across the desk and finally he said, "So you accept my offer?"

"Of course, Sir!" Remus exclaimed, excited to be saying those words. He couldn't repay Dumbledore enough. Remus stood up and reached across the table to shake Dumbledore's aged hand.

"Sit, my boy, sit. First, I ask that you call me Albus; we are co-workers now."

Remus smiled and replied, "Yes S- Albus."

Dumbledore smiled at the boy - no, the man. In the past twelve years especially, Remus Lupin had done a lot of growing up. The man had always been the mature, practical one of his group of friends... but the past twelve years showed a determinism that Albus had never seen before.

Remus Lupin had always had extraordinary manners, even for a young boy of eleven who had no idea that schooling was a possibility. It was good to see someone so well mannered and bright finally have _something_ go right in their life.

Something was gnawing at Remus' mind, however, and he knew that if he didn't ask it, it'd more than likely torment him until he started teaching school in the fall. After all, it was still only the first of July! There was plenty of time to get ready to move to Hogwarts and get ready for the new adventures his life would surely find. But this? This question could not wait.

"Si-- _Albus_," corrected Remus as he started his inquiry quite unsure of how to word it. "I know that you're not _supposed_ to talk about students unless there's a problem or something but... _Harry_. I've got to know." The tone that Remus was talking in was halfway between pathetic and petrified.

Albus smiled in response. "Remus, my dear boy, I thought you'd never ask!"

Remus exhaled a breath of relief that he wasn't sure he completely knew that he had been holding. "So, he's healthy? Happy? Gets good grades? Lily was always smart. Does he still look... like _him?_"

"To start with the last question first; yes, he does, but with her eyes, as I'm sure you recall. He's happy enough. He's got two really good friends here - Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. He's a bit small and scrawny, but if I recall, so was James. His grades are average. He's not _you_, for example, but he does fair a bit better than Peter Pettigrew did, if my memory serves," Dumbledore said with a chuckle. Pettigrew, one of the 'Marauders', as the boys had called themselves, wasn't anything special.

Remus had his brains and wits. He knew all the rules and the loopholes and he was the mastermind behind things that Dumbledore more than likely knew nothing about. Sirius had been the jokester with the ambition of a Slytherin. He had been James Potter's best friend. James had been the all-around "golden" boy. Although Albus was sure that there was no ringleader, that James and Sirius shared in that responsibility, it would have been James if you _had_ to chose.

And then there was Peter Pettigrew. He was shy and had watery eyes and he _hadn't _been the boy that Albus would have chosen to round out the group. But perhaps that was why it had worked so well. In some ways, Peter had been the glue that held them together. Remus had been the voice of reason, Albus knew, but Peter must have had _some_ hidden role that he hadn't seen in action. He had seemed like he was the glue when things were falling apart. Remus and Peter both shared in being neutral in any fights - spats, really - that broke out between Potter and Black (which, although quite uncommon, were not unheard of. With a chuckle, Albus recalled one particular spat that had resulted in a 'prank war.' The two of them had conceded by the end of twos days time and left the third hall corridor unusable for three weeks).

"You haven't asked me the most important question, Remus," Dumbledore said as his blue eyes twinkled once more.

_How do they do that? I've never figured it out,_ thought Remus. _The most important question?_ "What's that, Albus?"

Albus chuckled. _Remus_ wouldn't have thought it to be important, but no doubt James or, dare he think it, Sirius, would have. "What house the boy is in, of course!"

Remus inhaled sharply. They had discussed it when he was born, of course. James insisting that the only house for Harry would be Gryffindor. What if... what if James' dream of Harry continuing on the tradition didn't happen? What would that mean? "And...?" He asked in an almost silent whisper, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Gryffindor, like his parents," Albus confirmed and a big smile broke out on Remus' face. That was brilliant news! Really, it was! He'd have to remember to tell -- well, never mind _that_. He didn't have anyone to tell.

"Good, I'm proud of him. I... It's good to hear," Remus finished lamely. "Now, tell me of these friends of his! Are they good influences? Or are they like the Marauders? James always said..."

Dumbledore smiled knowingly. More than once he had heard James Potter and his thoughts on what exactly Harry was going to be doing during his time at Hogwarts (if memory served, which it did, it went along the lines of: pranking, snogging, feasting, sneaking, and, on rare occasions, going to class). "Hermione Granger is perhaps the brightest witch of the age. She's a muggle-born and she's just... _fantastic_ at what she does. She's good for him."

Remus smiled at that thought. Hermione Granger, a bright witch! And, a muggle-born. It was good to see that Harry was not associating himself with just pure-blooded wizards and witches, or even just half-bloods. Perhaps that wasn't as big of an issue as it had been when he had attended school, but he knew that Lily had taken several low blows because of her blood status. It wasn't even right because she was far smarter than anyone of those bastards that had insulted her.

"And that Ronald fellow?" Remus prodded, hoping to hear good things about him as well. He knew Arthur Weasley and if it was the same boy he was thinking of... well, they had met briefly when Molly and Arthur had showed up to one Order meeting with several kids in tow (six, if Remus remembered properly).

Dumbledore nodded, glad that Remus had paid attention enough to get the boy's name right. "He's the son of Arthur and Molly; I know that you know them. He's good. He's about as smart as Harry and he's fiercely loyal. He's also good for Harry and he supports Harry with everything that goes on."

"Albus?" Remus didn't need to ask the full question. Albus knew exactly what he was wondering about.

"Yes, that. During his first year, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was being... _possessed _- inhabited, if you will - by Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore paused at Remus' gasp of breath and the continued on with his not-so-merry tale. "The three of them managed to conquer obstacles I set up to save the Sorcerer's Stone; consequently it was destroyed in the process."

Remus' eyes were wide. The three of them had managed to conquer obstacles that _the Albus Dumbledore_ had set up himself? They were either brilliant or dead lucky. It was no easy task to accomplish! Then again, this was Lily and James' son. They always knew that he had been destined for great things... but this? This was beyond even Remus' expectations.

"Last year, the Chamber of Secrets was opened. Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, was taken into it's lair. Harry, who we discovered to be a parslemouth --"

Remus couldn't help but interrupt the story: "A _parslemouth_? Dumbledore! Really!" He couldn't take such ludicrous ideas.

Dumbledore ignored him for the moment and continued on the tale of Harry Potter yet again saving the day, "managed to get into the Chamber of Secrets and he killed the Basilisk. Tom Riddle - Lord Voldemort, as you know him to be - had lured Ginny into the chamber with an old diary of his. Harry destroyed it. And, yes, Harry is a parslemouth. It seems that some... _qualities_ of Lord Voldemort were transferred to Harry all those years ago," he finished gingerly. It wasn't an easy subject and not one that the Headmaster completely understood. He had his theories, but he had also been known to be wrong every now and then.

Remus gulped and then nodded his head meekly. "Didn't I just read something about the Weasley family in the _Prophet_?" He needed a distraction.

"Ah, yes! Seems they've earned a wonderful vacation," said Dumbledore as he extracted the paper in question from a large pile of things on his desk. Remus reached out and pulled the front cover towards him, smiling as he looked at the paper.

"The one with the rat on his shoulder is Ron," Dumbledore added helpfully.

Remus' eyes moved to the boy. He looked like a nice enough kid. _Merlin, did I ever look that young?_ Remus wondered as he searched the picture. Egypt, by the looks of it. It looked nice and... well, it looked nice and like they all loved each other. A happy family. _What James and Lily should have been_.

Remus' eyes traveled over Ronald once again, resting on the rat on his shoulder. With a gasp of admittance, Remus pulled the paper closer to his nose. He heard Dumbledore say his name, but he was far too intrigued by the rat - _no, the man_, he corrected himself silently - that was perched on Ron's shoulder. With shaking hands, Remus lowered the paper to meet Albus' worried glance.

"What is it, my dear boy?"

"That's not a rat, Albus. That's Peter Pettigrew," he said quickly before launching into a story about what his best friends from school were _really_ like.


	3. two

Disclaimer: JKR owns all of the rights.

"Really, Albus, I don't see why this couldn't wait," grumbled Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge.

"Just trust me, my dear boy," responded Albus Dumbledore as he continued marching towards where the Weasley Clan was staying. Cornelius Fudge walked next to him, exasperated, and they were followed by three Aurors. This was, no doubt, going to be an interesting day in the Weasley family.

Of course the Weasley family knew the Headmaster; there had been many meetings between the elderly man and the parents. They had seven children and just a few months prior, Albus had to sit the grieving parents down in his office to tell them that, yes, their only daughter (and most likely their youngest son) had died in the Chamber of Secrets. Naturally this meeting was made quite happy when Harry Potter had stumbled in and proclaimed that everyone was okay (except for Lockhart, but Dumbledore didn't _truly_ miss the man, if you asked him privately).

The Weasley family was home to Harry Potter's best friend, Ronald Weasley. And, Ronald was in question because of a tale that Remus Lupin had weaved for the man. Dumbledore didn't doubt what Lupin had claimed, but he also hadn't told the Minister of Magic _where_ he heard the ridiculous rumor as the Ministry rarely believed the tales of werewolves. It was tragic to deny someone so bright equal rights, but there would be other times to conquer diversity in the wizarding world. This was not exactly the best time.

"Do they even know that we're coming?" Fudge's tone was clearly annoyed; Dumbledore was amused. The man wasn't really concerned about the family knowing that the Minister and Headmaster were coming, rather he was concerned that they were "wasting precious time," as he had put it earlier.

Just the day prior, Dumbledore had believed Sirius Black to be guilty of killing his best friend. Now he knew that it was, indeed, Peter Pettigrew who was responsible. "Naturally. I sent them an Owl this morning. Don't worry," Albus assured him with twinkling blue eyes. The Minister had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"I really don't have time to be doing this, Headmaster. I do have urgent matters at Azkaban."

"As you've said before, Cornelius. However, this... story deserves to be looked into. After all, would _you_ like to be locked up for twelve years for a crime you did not commit?"

"N-no! Of course not, Dumbledore! Don't be preposterous!"

"Then humor me," Dumbledore advised. They had reached the place that the Weasley's were staying at. Dumbledore raised one hand and knocked twice. Almost immediately the door flung open, revealing the two Weasley twins, Fred and George.

"Hello Professor -"

"- fancy seeing you here-"

"- dad mentioned that you'd be-"

"- stopping by today, but he didn't exactly -"

"- say why. And, hello -"

"- Minister Fudge! It's a pleasure -"

"- to meet you! Why -"

" - don't you come in?"

"Charming," the Minister said dryly as he took a step into the small room. He obviously had never seen the Weasley twins in action. Fred and George, although they spent too much time pranking, were quite bright; Albus knew that they would be a lot brighter and have achieved a lot better grades if they put one fourth the effort into school that they did into pranking.

"I hope your holidays have been quite enjoyable, boys," Albus said warmly.

The boys nodded and Fred - or was it George? Even Albus Dumbledore could be confused at times! - and they both chanted, "We'll go get mum and dad for you!" before running off into the back room.

Not even a moment later, a flustered Molly Weasley came out from the back room. Arthur was quick on her heels, all smiles. "Minister, Headmaster," they greeted together.

"What can we do for you today? Your letter was a bit, ah, vague," Arthur said with a small smile, though he was clearly bemused by the Auror squad that had flanked the Headmaster and Minister. Surely, if the children were in _trouble_ (and you never knew with children like Fred and George!) they wouldn't be in so much trouble that an Auror squad would need to accompany the Headmaster.... right?

"I have heard a story - and, I believe it to be quite true - from a confidence that... Sirius Black is innocent."

"Black! Innocent?!" Molly exclaimed, looking quite confused. "Hardly! Albus, my dear Headmaster, he murdered all those poor muggles in broad day light! And his supposed best friend, James and Lily! And Peter! How can _he_ be innocent?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. That's exactly what I've been trying to tell the Headmaster. Of course you know Albus and the way he is when he gets some story mixed up in his --"

Albus silenced the Minister with a sharp look. "I have received notice by, _ah, _how do I say this without giving away their identity? Well, I received news that... well, can I see your son's rat?"

"Ron's rat?" Arthur was even more confused at this point. He shared a look with his wife and it was clear to see that she was even more confused than her husband. "What's Ron's rat have to do with anything?"

"I believe him to be an illegal animagi," Dumbledore responded cooly.

"Really, Dumbledore! You didn't even tell _me_ the whole story! This is too far fetched to even believe. I'm sorry that we've bothered your holiday," Cornelius apologized as he started to turn. However, Dumbledore reached out and, looping his slender fingers around Cornelius' upper arm, held the Minister in place.

"I just need to see the rat, Arthur. If he is really a rat and not, let's say Peter Pettigrew, nothing will happen to him," he assured the couple. Cornelius struggled against his grip, obviously thinking the old man was weak, but Albus made no move to let him go. The Auror Squad, interested by this new piece of information, made no effort to save their boss from the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Everyone knew that Albus was far more agreeable and interesting than Cornelius Fudge was, anyway.

Arthur nodded and turned on his heel and left the room. A moment later, he brought a tired looking red-haired boy out who was clutching his rat like it was his life line. "Wha'samatter?"

"Nothing is wrong, Ronald," Albus assured the tired boy, who was obviously just woken up by his father. The boy continued to look at the Headmaster for a moment. If nothing was wrong, why was the Headmaster, the Minister of Magic, _and_ three Aurors standing here?

"Then... why do you need my rat?"

"We just need to run a test on him, my dear boy. I promise that no harm will come to him," Albus said with a smile and twinkling blue eyes as he held out his hand for the rat. Ron debated handing the Headmaster his rat for the briefest of seconds and then he plopped the scared looking rat onto the Headmaster's outstretched hand.

"Brilliant, thank you," Albus said cheerfully.

The Headmaster looked pointedly at Molly and Arthur, silently telling them that he would like privacy. "Right, then," Molly said gracefully, steering Ron away and back towards the back room (Ron's protests could be heard quietly as his mother dragged him away: "But, mum! That's _Scabbers_! Why do they need to see him?!"). Arthur nodded once and went off after his wife and youngest son.

Albus turned to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the second in command of the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic (Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour had a previous engagement and could not attend.). This was all very well, as Shacklebolt had known Sirius Black as a younger man, when they had both been part of the Order of the Phoenix. Kingsley had been one of the three to accompany the Headmaster and the Minister. The other two were newer recruits Nymphadora Tonks (who, ironically, was related to Sirius Black) and John Dawlish (the Minister swore by Dawlish and refused to go anywhere without the bloke). "Would you like to do the honors, Kingsley?"

"Of course, Sir," Kingsley responded in his slow, deep timbre of a voice. "Tonks, Dawlish," Kingsley said with a nod towards the rat.

The two Aurors stepped forward. "If I may, Headmaster?" Tonks asked, holding her hands out for the now struggling rat.

"Call me Albus, Tonks," he said with a chuckle as he handed the rat over. The rat bit and scratched at Tonks' hands, but she made no movement to drop it. Kingsley aimed his wand and cast the spell to reveal the animagi that was hiding within the rat's body...

***

"Can today be anymore impossible?" Fudge demanded angrily as he stepped foot onto the island that Azkaban Wizarding Prison rested on.

"I'm sure it could," humored Albus Dumbledore. Kingsley bit back a laugh as he stepped in front of the two powerful wizards and led them towards Sirius Black's cell.

After Peter Pettigrew had been revealed, the Auror Squad immediately secured him and Tonks and Dawlish had transported him back to the Ministry for further questioning. However, it was clear, even to someone as thick as Minister Fudge seemed to be, that Pettigrew's state of living meant that Sirius Black was _most certainly_ not guilty. After assuring the screaming Molly Weasley that all was well, the trio apparated to the dock where a boat was waiting to take them to the small island. Apparition directly onto the island was impossible for security reasons, but the boat ride was short.

The fortress was not quite; it was quite the opposite, actually. The screams and howls of the prisoners echoed off of the walls and seemed to follow the trio as the made their way to the high security ward. Currently, Sirius Black was the only prisoner in _that_ section of the prisoner. His cell was guarded by no less than four dementors at any given time. To put it mildly, Sirius Black was in a living hell.

Approaching the cell, the dementors scattered as Cornelius Fudge dismissed them with a wave. The cold feeling that the small group felt was hardly any comfort. Everyone in this prison had already lost their mind. Of course, they'd have to do a quick interview with Black and Albus sincerely hoped that his mind wasn't _too_ far gone. It was imperative that their questions got answered to the best of his ability _before_ they returned the prisoner to the mainland. It was imperative that they knew for _certain_ before the Minister offered retribution and made an official announcement to the Wizarding World.

"Who in the hell put him in here without giving him a trial anyway?" Fudge muttered as they took a couple more steps towards the cell.

"I do believe that would be Barty Crouch," replied Dumbledore, knowing that the Minister didn't really care.

"Black! Get up this instant!" Kingsley barked through the cell doors. "Stand back," he warned the Prisoner, his wand on the man as he opened the cell door with a key. He motioned for the man to come closer and he immediately cast a spell that placed shackles on Sirius.

Pleased that Sirius was properly restrained (after all, you could never be too careful. Just because he wasn't a murdered before he came here didn't mean twelve years in this place had been easy on his strained mind.), Kingsley led Black out into the hall where Dumbledore and Fudge stood waiting. Black's eyes took a second to adjust to the brighter lighting and he was clearly confused as to why his former Headmaster and the current Minister of Magic were standing there.

"And to what do I owe this great pleasure, men?" Sirius rasped, his voice weak and strained from years of silence. Black never had been one of the ones that screamed in his sleep. He was rather quiet, as far as inmates went. Then again, he had one up on everyone: he was innocent. That wasn't really a happy thought, so he was allowed to keep it to himself.

"We've just got a few questions for you, Sirius," Albus responded without really telling him anything. He didn't want to get Sirius' hopes up, although he was more than confident that the story would correspond with what they had found already that day, and Remus' story from the previous day. If everything worked out as planned, they would be out of here in no time.

Sirius remained silent as he was lead down the hall and into an interrogation room. He was roughly shoved into a cold, hard seat; it seems that there was no love lost between Kingsley and him. They had spent several years working side by side as Aurors in the first war. Most importantly, they had both been members of the Order. But memories faded and some people you _thought_ you knew became murderers and convicts. Sirius knew _that_ story far too well.

A loud cracking noise made three of the men jump and Albus just chuckled. He offered all of the men a piece of chocolate and then he took the final one for himself. "We just had some questions to ask you about the... events of twelve years ago, Sirius."

Sirius barked out a harsh laugh and for a brief second, he held a fiercely crazy look in his eyes. "About time, then! What happened to change your mind? To force your hand to come talk to me?"

"I've heard a story from someone and I'd just like to see if you could collaborate it. We _could_ provide you with some lovely Veritaserum if you'd like that instead, Sirius."

Sirius sighed. He rather not be drugged for anything. "What would you like to know?"

"Who was the Potter's secret keeper?"

"Dumbledore! He really does need to be administered Veritaserum for this! He could lie and make it --"

"Peter Pettigrew," Sirius said harshly, interrupting the Minister's blubbering.

"And what made them change from you to Peter?"

"They thought... well, you see, I convinced James that Remus was the spy. I really thought he was. I mean, the werewolves were giving Lord Voldemort-" Sirius ignored Fudge's flinch at the name. "- more and more support and it just made _sense_. Lily didn't buy it. James knew that it wasn't me. He knew how much I abhorred dark magic..."

Sirius inhaled deeply as he reorganized his thoughts. This was harder than he thought. He wished he had more chocolate, but he wasn't foolish enough to ask for more. Looking back at Dumbledore, Sirius continued on with his tale. "I told him that they'd go after me first; it'd be so obvious. Who else would know the Potter's secret than me? Everyone knew that James and I were closer than brothers. I had him switch to Peter. _No one_ would _ever_ suspect Peter! As if anyone would trust him with information so important!"

"And they agreed to the switch?"

"Yes. Anything to keep themselves and.. _Harry_ safe. I don't... he... Merlin," Sirius croaked, unable to finish. Sirius looked down at the table, ashamed. He had thought about it many a long night. If it hadn't been for Sirius' foolhardiness and unwillingness to believe that Peter could achieve anything great... Lily and James would still be alive.

James and Sirius had been closer than brothers. Ever since they had met on the Hogwarts train, they knew that they were destined to be great friends. Although both of them came from Pureblood families, it was clear that you couldn't get any different upbringings than the ones they had enjoyed (or in Sirius' case, detested) in their young lives. While James had been pampered and spoiled, Sirius had been beaten and cursed. Yet it hadn't mattered at all.

And Lily! _Lily._ Lily Evans, the brilliant red-haired witch with the bright green eyes that her son had shared in common with her. James' boy through and through, except for the eyes. You'd have never thought she bore the boy except for the eyes. And Sirius had loved Lily more than he should have. He bit his tongue at the wedding and let his dreams, his heart, go. He had watched as Lily loved James and relished in the little things. The moments that hadn't mattered as much to Lily as they had to him.

But they hadn't been meant to be. It was clear to see that it _had_ to be James and Lily. James was the one who was more mature; he was the one who would be able to provide better than Sirius. Lily chose James (although she loved Sirius quite a lot) and Sirius had vowed to do everything he could to protect them and his god-son. He had failed, but... if given the chance, he'd do it all over again. But this time.... this time... he'd save them. He wouldn't convince them that they needed to change Secret Keepers; he'd inform Dumbledore of the switch...

"Sirius, my dear boy," came a voice and a hand on Sirius' shoulder caused him to jump. It was only then that he realized that he was shaking uncontrollably and the table in front of him seemed to have splashes from tears on it. Sirius could feel the hot liquid seeping down his cheeks, but how... why?

"I killed them," he croaked finally.

"See, Dumbledore! There is obviously a reason as to why Pettigrew was hiding as a rat!" Cornelius deduced.

"I don't think that's what he meant," Dumbledore mumbled. "Sirius, can you elaborate? How did you kill them?"

"I convinced them to switch. If it hadn't been for me... If I had just done it like James asked... They would have hid there forever and Voldemort would have never of found them! But I convinced them to switch to _him_! I killed them!"

Sirius was getting very emotional at this point and the Headmaster was starting to worry about how much damage Azkaban _had_ done to his mind. Although he had seemed quite with it - not as _insane_, you could say - it was clear that his mental state was quickly unraveling. Reaching into his robe, Dumbledore produced the photo of the Weasley family that had appeared the previous day in _The Daily Prophet_, and he placed it gently on the table in front of Sirius.

"What's the meaning of--" Sirius cut himself off as he snatched up the photo and stared in horror at the rat on the boy's shoulder.

"Can you tell me who that is, Sirius?" probed Albus gently.

"Peter," he replied breathlessly.

Albus nodded to Cornelius who rolled his eyes and motioned for Kingsley to free the prisoner of his binds. Sirius didn't seem to notice as his eyes were still locked on that photo. Albus cleared his throat and Cornelius seemed to remember that he had a job to be doing.

"Right, then. Mr. Black, the Ministry of Magic would like to offer you a full pardon and a retribution of 100, 000 Galleons."

"Harry," croaked Sirius, who didn't seem to care about the money. His eyes searched for the ancient Headmaster.

"We'll discuss it. I do believe that it could work..." Albus had seen the longing glances that Sirius had shot at Lily Potter for years. She had loved him, too, in her own way. Not as much as James and not as much as her son, but she had loved him. It would be easy for the wards to be changed and for her son to be placed in his god-father's care.

Sirius nodded and exhaled. Slowly, the man stood up from his seat and took Dumbledore's arm. He was shaking like a leaf from the pure exhaustion that had been the last near hour of his life and just from the exhaustion that it was to be a prisoner in the fortress. It was hell here and he'd be glad to be getting back.

As they walked back to the boat, Kingsley and Fudge ahead of the other two men, Albus and Sirius talked in hushed voices. Remus, it seemed, had figured everything out on his own. It had taken him twelve years, but he at least had the balls to speak up. Sirius admired that and he'd have to give Remus a very big hug before he even spoke to him.

"You can stay the night at Hogwarts tonight, Sirius. Then we can discuss where we'll be going from there," the headmaster told the exhausted man gently. Sirius had nodded. "Do you have any means of supporting Harry?"

"Well, I've got my families gold and, from what the Minister said, I'll be getting a nice payback for my years spent in hell." Would that be enough?

"I think it would be beneficial for you to get a job. Remus will be teaching at Hogwarts starting this fall," Dumbledore informed him gently.

"Yeah? That's good, really. I'm glad. He's always had a tough time of life. It's not fair," Sirius said with a sigh.

"I have an opening for a Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Sirius. I'd like for you to consider it. I think that Harry put it on his schedule for the upcoming year." Dumbledore had a feeling that saying those magic words - _Harry_ - would cause the man to at least consider it. The truth was, Dumbledore didn't want Sirius just going out into the world on his own. As a young man, he had been quite unstable. He had never really had a loving home until his parents had kicked him out. Now he was going from a prison to the real world. Dumbledore knew that it would be good for him to be around Remus and... well, that could very well be arranged.

"I know nothing of teaching, Headmaster," responded Sirius softly. He had no idea what to do with a bunch of kids. But _Harry_ with Lily's eyes and James' body would be there...

"Hagrid has been eyeing the position. Would you perhaps like to try co-teaching?"

Sirius shrugged, unsure. "Can I... think on it? It's been a long day."

"That it has been, my boy! Of course you can sleep on it," he promised. It was at this point that the boat -_ when had they gotten into the small boat?_ wondered Sirius - reached the mainland. Offering Sirius his arm, Dumbledore apparated with the young, drained man to Hogsmede.

What an eventful day, indeed!


	4. three

Disclaimer: JKR owns all!

It was Saturday, July 16th and everything at Number Four Privet Drive was quite normal, thank you very much. Vernon Dursley was lounging on the couch, Dudley Dursley was rummaging through the refrigerator and Petunia Dursley was dusting the dustless photos of her lovely son. They were quite the complete family.

In their back yard sat a young man with a dark mop of hair and glasses that kept going askew. Well, he was more kneeling than sitting on the pristine lawn, weeding the garden that was almost already weedless. This boy, with the dark hair and round glasses that masked his green eyes, had a lightning bolt scar on his forehead, although it was currently hidden by hair that stuck persistently to his forehead from the sweat that he was drenched in. It was high noon and Harry Potter, as he was known, was dressed in too large clothing (hand me downs from his whale of a cousin, although Harry hardly had any meat on his bones at all). His pale complexion was starting to pink from the sunlight that it was receiving.

Yes, all was perfectly normal at Number Four Privet Drive today, thank you very much.

That was, until a knock came to the door. Petunia bustled quickly to answer it, revealing three men. Two of them were younger - around her age - and the other man seemed ancient. Her eyes widened in acknowledgment of the elderly man; the two other men seemed familiar enough, although she couldn't quite place how she knew them or where they were from.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Dursley," Albus Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Mind if we come in?"

"N-not at all," she stuttered as she moved aside to allow the three men entrance of her pristine house. After all, they were wizards - yes, she was sure the two younger men were - and they could just _force_ her to let them through.

"Petunia! If it's someone selling something, tell them we don't want anything!" Vernon's lazy voice rang through the hall and Petunia nervously closed the door behind the last man. He was clean shaven with shoulder length hair. His skin was far too pale and he was far too thin, but those mischievous blue eyes seemed so... familiar.

"Vernon! It's some men from Harry's school!" Petunia's voice squeaked on the last word as she eyed the three men with some sort of trepidation.

"WHAT?!" Vernon bellowed. The sounds of a rather large man attempting to get off the couch followed and Dudley scurried by the four congregating in the foyer, up the stairs and out of sight. Remus raised an eyebrow at Sirius who merely shrugged. Muggles.

Vernon finally emerged from the sitting room, his usually red face already turning purple. "Hello, Mr. Dursley. I do not believe we've had the chance to meet before. I'm Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. These two men are Remus Lupin, Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and Sirius Black, Care of Magical Creatures Professor." Albus Dumbledore was handling the situation quite calmly. He was ignoring Vernon's sputtering and glares.

"Well, what are you doing here?" Vernon demanded rudely, staring the old man down. What were these freaks doing in his house?

"Well, that's a bit complicated. Mind if we sit down? Of course not!" Dumbledore's tone was so cheerful as he lead the way into the sitting room that Remus and Sirius had to turn their laughs into hacking coughs. They liked the way that Dumbledore handled this muggle.

Sirius exchanged a look with Remus as they entered the sitting room. There were dozens of photos... but none of a black haired, green eyed boy. Just of a light blonde beach ball / whale child, which was, presumably, the same boy that had scampered up the stairs and out of sight. "Where do you think Harry is?"

"No clue, Padfoot. Perhaps he's... well, I'm not sure." Remus was just as confused as Sirius. The Headmaster seemed to think that they had the right house, but Remus wasn't so sure.

Petunia quickly moved into the room with a tray. She wasn't completely horrid at being a hostess; she had brought tea with her. She eyed Sirius Black warily once again before proclaiming, "_You're_ the one that crashed my wedding with that awful entrance on the motorbike!"

Sirius snorted and looked at Remus with the happiest expression Remus had seen him wear in the past two weeks. "I _told _you that I made a good first - and only - impression!" The anecdote was sorely true. Lily had been on an Order mission up until about an hour before the wedding ceremony and, too tired to apparate to the wedding, Sirius had rushed her on his motorbike.

Remus rolled his eyes but accepted the steaming cup of tea. "Is Harry around?" The werewolf questioned, still not understanding where the boy could be. It truly looked as if this was a three person family - a family that Harry was _not_ a part of. He didn't understand.

"Yes," Petunia replied stiffly, "Vernon just went to fetch him."

As if by magic, two voices were heard arguing as they drew closer to the sitting room. The one, Vernon's, was rough and angry. The other, that of an almost teenage boy, was sounding rather exasperated.

"But I'm telling you that I _didn't_ do anything, Uncle Vernon!"

"They've come to expel you for doing more _freaky things_ outside of that school of yours, boy! Confess!"

"But I _haven't_ done any magic outside of school! They would have sent a letter, not sent the Headmaster! I'm sure of it!"

"Just you wait, boy," the uncle cackled, not knowing his voice carried quite well through the house. Sirius made an attempt to get up - he wanted to punch Vernon Dursley or hex him or something equally fun - but both Remus and Dumbledore grabbed an arm and pulled him back down to the overstuffed couch. Petunia eyed him nervously.

Just then, Uncle Vernon appeared in the door way, holding the upper arm of a scrawny boy who was covered in sweat and dirt covering his face. His glasses had been knocked askew - _again _- but it was no denying that the boy that stood in front of them was Harry James Potter. Seeing the agitated look on all three wizard's faces, Vernon dropped Harry's upper arm quickly. Harry scrambled away from his uncle quite quickly and eyed the Headmaster unsurely.

"Sir?"

"How are your summer holidays going so far, Harry?"

"Uh, they're going... well," he struggled. Who were the two other men? Were they aurors? _Was_ he in trouble? "Professor, can I ask you why you're here?"

"You _may,_" corrected Albus, a twinkle in his eyes.

Harry's cheeks colored. "Right, well... why _are_ you here? Uncle Vernon seems to think that I'm in trou--"

"I can assure you that you're not in trouble, Mr. Potter. Please, come sit down," Albus said, motioning to one of the chairs in the room.

Petunia made a gesture to Harry. "You're far too filthy-- _oh, fine,_" she agreed, seeing Albus' severe gaze. Harry looked at his aunt confused but then crossed the room and sat in a chair closest to the Headmaster. The sandy haired man and the dark haired man both eyed him closely, which made him uncomfortable.

"Petunia, Vernon... you might want to make yourselves comfortable. Harry, this is Remus Lupin, your new Defense Professor, and Sirius Black, your new Care of Magical Creatures Professor," Albus said introducing the men who hadn't seemed to have blinked since Harry had sat down. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry watched Petunia and Vernon stiffly sit in two other chairs, eyeing Harry suspiciously, as if he had planned all of this.

"Professor, I don't think I'm following. I mean, why _are_ you here?"

"All in good time, my dear boy. Now, would you like a lemon drop?"

"Oh! For Merlin's sake, Albus!" Sirius Black seethed, wanting to strangle the old man for his stupid ways.

"Er, no thanks," Harry responded, even more confused. Why was Sirius Black all... agitated?

"Suit yourself," replied the Headmaster as he popped one of the muggle candies into his own mouth.

Today, it seemed, had gone from a perfectly normal day to a completely bizarre day. In Harry Potter's world, it took a lot to accomplish that feat.

"Harry, tell me, do you like living with your aunt and uncle? Do they treat you well?"

Harry shot a glance at his aunt and uncle who were shooting him daggers. Talk about putting him on the spot! Harry turned back to Dumbledore, staring at the Headmaster quizically. "Yeah, they're nice." What else could he say? He could practically feel his aunt and uncle's gaze boring into the side of his head. It was worse than spending any amount of time with Snape!

Harry shot another furtive glance at the two men who sat on the couch with Dumbledore. They were still staring at him and it was making him highly uncomfortable. Luckily, they turned to Dumbledore as he spoke once again. "What I'm asking, Harry, is if you'd like to change your living situation a bit?"

Harry paused before answering; this could be a trap or a trick. He didn't necessarily like the way the Headmaster had phrased that. "I don't know," he said casually, and he heard his uncle take a deep breath. "I mean, I don't want to live with Snape or anything..."

Black and Lupin snickered on the couch, but Dumbledore shot Harry a warning look. "It's _Professor_ Snape, Harry."

"Severus Snape?" Harry's aunt spoke up, startling Harry (and, by the looks of it, the two younger men on the couch, along with her husband). He had completely forgotten that she was sitting there. Furthermore, how did she know his Potions Master?

"That's the one, my dear," Dumbledore clarified cheerfully.

"Petunia?" Vernon asked, clearly doubting his wife and her claims that she wanted nothing to do with _that_ world.

"I knew him as a child; he and Lily were always sneaking around together, getting into trouble. He was a no good boy," Petunia said stiffly, her nose in the air.

Harry relaxed, though not by much. "My mum hung out with Sn-- _Professor Snape_?"

"Of _course_ she did, you no good... How else do you think she found out that she was so _magical_?"

"I dunno; I assumed that she found out when she was eleven and _she_ started getting letters from the school," Harry retorted, slightly angered. How could his Aunt Petunia have kept _this_ from him? How could she have kept anything from him?

"Harry," said the dark haired man on the couch gently, calling Harry's attention back to the task at hand. "What Albus was _trying_ to ask you is if you'd like to live with me? I'm your god-father. Your parents wanted you to live with me if anything ever happened to them..."

Harry was shocked into silence, as were his current guardians. Vernon recovered first, sputtering, "Then why didn't you take the ungrateful little brat?! Why was he left on _our_ doorstep?"

"I was previously unavailable," Sirius commented dryly before turning to Harry. "So what of it? Come live with us? We've got a quaint little three bedroom flat... if you're interested..."

"_Now wait just a second there, Black! _PREVIOUSLY UNAVAILABLE?! FOR _TWELVE_ YEARS?" Vernon bellowed, standing from his position. It was amazing how fast the man could move when he wanted to. "I know that your lot have no regard for others - obviously, or we wouldn't have been left the brat - but _twelve_ years? No, Petunia, I won't sit down! We've a right to be answered!" He was doing a very good job at ignoring Petunia's pleas to sit as Sirius rose, pulling a wand from his robes.

"_Sirius,_" hissed Remus, tugging at Sirius' arm. It was clear to Harry that Remus was obviously the sensible one of the two. Hopefully he could keep his friend under control. Harry shot Dumbledore a pleading glance.

"I'm very sorry for the, ah, inconvenience that you and your wife have faced, Mr. Dursley, but I can assure you that Mr. Black _was_ unable to be Harry's guardian. However, he is able to now and unless Harry has any objections, he'd rather enjoy having his god-son around."

Aunt Petunia finally seemed to have calmed Uncle Vernon down, as now he was grumbling under his breath about drunks and magic and other nonsense. "I'd like to go with you very much," Harry said softly to the wizard that was still standing. The man's blue eyes seemed to fill with life and he smiled widely at Harry before showing Remus how large he was smiling.

"Right, then," Remus said, unable to hide his own smile. "Harry, shall we help you pack?"

"Okay," he said slowly as he got up. The two men followed him out of the room and up the stairs to Dudley's second bedroom. Downstairs, his uncle's voice could be heard discussing merlin know's what with Dumbledore. _Probably how much it's cost him to feed me and clothe me and whatever else,_ Harry thought bitterly as he twisted the knob to the door.

Sirius and Remus seemed to be debating what they wanted to say to Harry. Harry turned to face them, apologizing for the mess that was his room, and Sirius reached up to ruffle Harry's hair in a brotherly way. Harry flinched away from the contact and he quickly turned away so that he didn't have to see Black's crestfallen face. Remus mouthed "it's okay" to his friend as he watched the boy crawl under his bed for something.

"Where's your school trunk, Harry?"

"In the cupboard under the stairs," came the muffled reply. A creaking noise - almost as if a floorboard was being pulled up - came out from under the bed and Harry finally emerged with a large bundle of letters and what looked to be like a _HIstory of Magic_ textbook.

"Why's it down there?" Remus asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"I'm not supposed to do magic..." Harry shrugged, stuffing the things in his hands on top of his bed as he scrambled for something else under the bed.

"What about your homework?" That was Black. Harry could tell that he was trying - and nearly failing - to keep his voice even.

"Uh, I don't know," Harry replied honestly, returning from under the bed with a nicely bound leather book. On the front of it was a moving picture of Lily and James Potter. Both Remus and Sirius inhaled at the sight. Remus made an excuse about retrieving Harry's school trunk and left the pair of dark haired men alone in Harry's room.

"That's a nice album. Where'd you get it?"

"Uh, Hagrid," Harry commented offhandedly as he crawled back under the bed to replace the floorboard. "Did you know my parents?"

"Obviously, if I was named your godfather." Sirius rolled his eyes. Was the boy being serious?

"Oh, right," Harry said softly as he reappeared from under the bed for the final time. He started to dust himself off but quickly gave up, as the dirt seemed to be becoming of him today.

"What's your owl's name?" Sirius asked, finally noticing the slumbering white owl in her cage. She was quite the beauty.

"Hedwig."

Sirius nodded and looked around the room. It was fairly clean. There was nothing tacked to the walls, nothing to show that anyone really _lived_ here. When Sirius had been a teenager - of course that was a _very different _situation - there had been posters and pictures everywhere. He had done it to piss off his pureblooded parents. Harry, on the other hand, seemed to think that being quiet and not giving cause for a fight was the best way to go. Perhaps it was.

Remus reappeared with the trunk just in time to save the two men from an awkward silence. What did you say to someone who had been absent from your life for the past twelve years after he promised your parents that he'd take care of you? Harry didn't want to bring it up here, but he would be sure to get the full story out of Black, if it was the last thing he did. It better be a damn good reason, too! How could he leave Harry to his uncle's cruel punishment... sleeping under the stairs for years? Sirius Black had better have a good reason, by Merlin, or Harry would learn just how to cast the killing curse and kill the man himself!

_Wait, where did_ those _thoughts come from?_ wondered Harry, confused. He had never felt so much anger in his life. It was... disconcerting.

Harry quickly opened his school trunk and pulled a couple things out of it. Namely, his broomstick and the invisibility cloak. As he stuffed his books and letters into the bottom of the trunk, Harry caught Remus lightly fingering the cloak in his peripheral vision.

"Did you know my parents too?" Harry asked, against better judgement.

"Yes, I did. They were the best people I've ever known Harry. I should have realized that you'd inherit this cloak. Do you get into trouble much?"

"Trouble seems to have it's own way of finding me," confessed the boy-who-lived with a shy smile. Sirius and Remus chortled as Harry put the cloak and broomstick away and locked the trunk. He picked up Hedwig's cage and set it on top. "Okay, I'm all ready."

"Really? That was... _fast_," commented Sirius in a disparaging tone. He was clearly unhappy with what he had seen of the Dursley's treatment of his god-son. Harry shrugged and picked up Hedwig's cage and started to tug the trunk behind him.

"Professor, I'm ready," called Harry as he reached the bottom stair, Remus and Sirius on his tail.

Professor Dumbledore, Aunt Petunia (who was wearing her best forced smile) and Uncle Vernon all filed into the foyer, staring at the three on the stairs. "Perhaps it'd be best for you to say goodbye to your aunt and uncle alone," prompted Dumbledore.

"Oh, no, that's o--" started Harry but Remus and Sirius quickly took his things from him and filed outside quickly, obviously wanting to give Harry his moment to say 'goodbye.' _Right, this is brilliant_, he thought.

"So," he started awkwardly, looking at his feet and not at his aunt or uncle.

"You'll never set foot inside this house again, boy! Do you hear me?"

"Yes'ir," Harry responded, raising his cool gaze.

"Hmph," Vernon stated as he stomped off, leaving just Harry's aunt and him.

"So this is goodbye," she said, not quite sure of what to do or say.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Harry looked elsewhere. This was completely awkward for him, and, he assumed, his aunt.

"You should be thankful for everything we've given to you, boy."

"Right."

"You should do your best to remember that we won't allow you back into this house after today."

"Noted."

"Harry?"

"Yes?" Confused, he looked at his aunt again.

"Ta- er... _goodbye_," she whispered before turning on her heel and heading towards the kitchen.

With one last glance around the house where he had spent the majority of his life, Harry opened the front door and stepped out onto the front porch, where Sirius and Remus were waiting for him. Harry gave them a perplexed look.

"Professor Dumbledore had to return to the school. Have you ever done side-along apparition before?"

"No, sir," Harry responded softly, wondering what the hell it was.

"Okay, well, here," Sirius mumbled as he offered Harry his arm. Harry eyed it warily. "Just trust me."

Harry took Sirius' arm and gave Remus a nervous glance. The man nodded once and then Harry and Sirius seemed to spin on the spot.


	5. four

disclaimer: JKR owns all of the rights! :)

Sirius Black sat at the small table in the small kitchen of the small apartment that he and Remus and now Harry shared. Just the day before, he and Remus had gone to Number Four Privet Drive (which was a very _normal_ and peaceful place, thank you very much) and collected Sirius' god-son. Why he had ever been placed with those muggles when there were dozens of willing and ready wizarding families ready to take such a boy in was beyond Sirius.

Actually, no, it wasn't. Dumbledore had explained it to Sirius in very easy terms: the blood ties. The fact that the same blood that had run through Lily's veins was shared in Petunia's; because they had called themselves sisters, Harry would be safe from harm (except for harm inflicted by his whale of a cousin or his uncle). Dumbledore had reviewed his stance on the matter, however, and Sirius was granted custody of the boy-who-lived.

Why? Well, it was quite simple. James Potter had considered Sirius Black his brother; James Potter had loved Sirius Black as if he were a brother. Technically, James' blood ran through Sirius' veins (a stupid move over three bottles of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey and a penknife had cemented that fact between their fifth and sixth year). And Lily? Sirius had loved Lily far more than he should have. The world seemed to tilt when she was in his eyesight. Lily had loved Sirius, too, but not in the same way. Not quite as strongly. But Lily had loved him enough.

James had laid his life down so that Lily and Harry could get away. Lily had laid her life down for Harry. Sirius could protect Harry just as well as the Dursley's could, in Dumbledore's opinion (which had been seconded by Sirius).

The apartment that Sirius had purchased was three bedrooms, one bathroom, one sitting room, and one kitchen large. There was no place safer in all of the wizarding world, except for Hogwarts. The wards around the place were phenomenal. Albus Dumbledore himself had placed the wards. There were _so_ many wards that Sirius had lost count.

It would be good enough for Harry. Sirius would lay his life down before any harm could come to his god-son, and that seemed to help ease Albus' mind.

"Ah, you're out here thinking. I thought I could smell smoke."

"Very funny, Remmy," Sirius replied sarcastically.

"What're you thinking about?"

Not wanting to reveal what he was really thinking about - _am I good enough for this? Are these wards enough? _ - Sirius diverted the question. "Do you think he's gonna wake up any time soon? I mean, he's been out since we got here. Is that healthy?"

They hadn't even gotten two words out of the twelve year old boy before he had fallen asleep. Sirius had instructed Harry to sit down at the table so that they could discuss the living arrangements and, in the two minutes it took Remus and Sirius to move his trunk and owl into his room and return, Harry had promptly fallen asleep with his head on the kitchen table. Sirius had picked Harry up and carried him to his bed where, nearly twelve hours later, he remained.

"Yes, Sirius. It's fine. You already fire called Dumbledore who told you the poor kid was probably over taxed. And you _saw_ the bags under his eyes. There's no way he was getting enough sleep in that house." Remus' tone was polite and patient, but it was clear that he wanted to strangle his over protective friend.

"If I ever see those muggles again, Remus, I swear..."

Down the hallway, oblivious to his new guardians musings, a small boy stirred. For a moment, he was completely confused. His glasses were most certainly not on his face and his vision was too blurry to make out where he was. Reaching out, his hand hit an end table and his fingers curled around one of the wire ear pieces of his glasses. Pulling them towards his face, he shoved them on rather roughly.

Everything came into view and he slowly remembered what had happened the previous day. _It wasn't a dream?_ he wondered to himself as he swung his legs over the side of his new bed. His bare feet his the wood floor and he looked down at his body for the first time. Someone had undressed him and left him in only his boxers.

Harry's eyes scanned the room once more and he saw the clothes from the previous day tossed in a makeshift hamper. On the far side of the room was a small desk and on the chair sat several new pairs of clothing. Upon closer inspection, Harry realized that these shirts and pants were new and exactly his size. Someone must have bought them for him.

_That was awful nice of them_, Harry thought gratified as he pulled a shirt and then a pair of pants on. They fit perfectly. Harry was particularly pleased with the shirt, which had a moving Quidditch scene playing out on it.

Padding silently out into the hallway, Harry followed the sounds of the voices to the kitchen. He vaguely remembered the flowered wallpaper that had hung on the wall, finding it odd for two bachelor's to have that sort of decoration. But, then again, hadn't the two men only just bought this place? He really shouldn't have passed out at the kitchen table yesterday. They were probably sore at him. _I'll just have to do extra chores to make up for it,_ thought Harry sullenly.

By this point, both men had stopped talking as the small boy had finally made it into the kitchen. "Morning sunshine," Sirius half-sung with a grin that stretched a mile. _Merlin, doesn't he look just like James! But the eyes! _

"Hey, Harry." Remus' tone was enthusiastic, but not like Sirius'. No, that man was far too pleased to see his god-son. Remus couldn't help but smile, however, at the clothes Harry was wearing. He had gone out to a muggle store while Harry slept during the afternoon the previous day after noticing that _all_ of Harry's clothes would be too big. _Damn muggles_, thought Remus, biting back his anger.

"Hi," Harry said in a shy tone, his cheeks coloring. He had just woken up in this strange apartment where he clearly knew no one! And, to top it off, these men were supposed to be good friends of his parents! What must they think of him?

"Come sit down and have some lunch, Harry." Sirius patted the chair next to his. Harry shuffled slowly over to it and sat without saying another word.

Remus rose from the table. "What are you hungry for, Harry? We've got... a lot of stuff. We weren't quite sure what you liked. Pancakes, cereal, fruit..." Remus prattled off different food items and Harry's eyes were large. He was used to being forced onto one or another of Dudley's diets. Having choices that weren't the healthiest? That was like heaven on Earth!

"Can I just have toast and jam, please?"

Sirius coughed back a laugh as Remus shot daggers. Sirius had _insisted_ that the house was stocked with everything that a near teenage boy could ever possibly want and Harry was choosing toast? Remus wasn't mad at Harry; Remus was mad that Sirius could be so wasteful sometimes. Oh well - neither of them knew what the boy could possibly want.

Less than a minute later, thanks to the use of magic, two pieces of toast on a plate and three different kids of jam appeared in front of Harry. "Thanks, sir!" he exclaimed excited as he reached for the knife and chose the jam he wanted (grape, perhaps?). Harry hungrily ate the first slice of bread. It felt like ages since he had gotten to eat last.

"Slow down kiddo," laughed Sirius.

"He inhales food like Prongs did!"

"Prongs?" Harry asked with much difficulty, swallowing the piece of toast in his mouth.

"Your dad. We, er, all had nicknames. I'm Moony."

"And I'm Padfoot! But everyone just called me Sexy." Remus rolled his eyes. He loved having Sirius back, though, so it was worth all the stupid things he said and did.

"Why'd you have those nicknames?" Harry was busy applying his jam to his second piece of toast, but he still managed to look up as he asked the question. With a sidewards glance at Sirius, he realized that the two adults were having a silent conversation.

"We're gonna tell you the full story," sighed Remus.

"Which involves where I've been for the past almost twelve years."

Harry took a bite of his toast, surveying the two adults suspiciously. With another resigned sigh, Remus started to tell the tale ("Firstly, Harry, call me Remus or Moony. None of this _sir_ business; I'm not _that_ old!"). He started at the very beginning when he had been bitten by Greyback at the age of four (although he skipped over the name). He spoke of Dumbledore and being permitted to attend Hogwarts.

The tale wove to become more complicated; three friends defying the odds to help their friend through his lycanthropy. Four friends: the complete set of Marauders. How James finally got Lily to fall for him ("Well, I used to poke your father with a very sharp needle in the head, hoping to let out some of that air," claimed Sirius with a devilish twinkle in his eye that made Harry wonder if that had seriously happened or not.). The rushed wedding which lead to an unplanned - yet completely welcomed - pregnancy.

(Sirius took over here; Remus' voice had become thick with sorrow. He knew what to expect. Harry could only guess that they were getting close to the end of his parent's lives.) From pregnancy to birth and god-fatherhood. From birth to the happiest year of Lily and James' too short life. To going into hiding and choosing the wrong friend to keep your secret. To tracking down your best friend's murderer. To being wrongfully imprisoned.

The story came full circle and Harry still hadn't finished his second piece of toast, although the telling of the story had taken nearly an hour and a half. His stomach had been in knots for a good portion of the story. It wasn't like he wanted to hear that his parents had died because they had mistrusted someone! Harry thought of Hermione and Ron with pride, knowing that neither of them would ever sell him out. They were the best friends that you could ask for!

Without warning, Harry flung his arms around Sirius' neck, startling the poor man. Sirius shot a quizzical look at Remus who just shrugged and Sirius tightened his arms around Harry's back. _Not quite what I was expecting from him after _that_ story, but I'll take it,_ reasoned Sirius. He patted Harry's back a little bit in a soothing manner. It had been years since he had felt a hug from Harry. For a moment there, lost in the bob of black hair that stuck out in every which way possible (so far from how Sirius' hair perfectly, neatly fell in an almost elegant way), Sirius was sure he was comforting James. He hugged the boy tight and kissed the top of his head, not wanting to break contact first. It had been far too long since he had been hugged by mini Prongs.

Harry broke the hug first, his cheeks turning bright red as he remembered that he was nearly thirteen years old and that normal thirteen year old boys (for example: Ron) didn't randomly hug men. Especially not men that they didn't know. Harry fixed his glasses that had come askew (_again_) and smiled at Sirius. His vibrant green eyes found Sirius' blue-grey orbs and Harry shied away first.

Slowly Harry got up from the table and walked around to where Remus was sitting. Remus was a bit more prepared than Sirius had been when Harry flung himself into his arms, but not much. To be honest, Remus had thought that Harry was going to run away screaming from him. Werewolves were still a tricky subject, even if Harry had experience some weird things in the wizarding world already.

And yet here Harry was, hugging the life out of the shabbily dressed wizard (Sirius had offered to buy Remus new robes, but Remus had refused. That was Sirius' money to raise Harry off of. Although it might be a lot of money, he didn't _need_ new robes. Not yet.). Harry was as kind hearted as Lily had been and as brave as James. He didn't care that Remus was a werewolf! Merlin! _This_ was something!

Harry steadily let go of Remus' neck and gave him a sheepish smile. He felt slightly silly. Wasn't hugging _so_ childish? But if you weren't hugged as a child.. weren't you allowed to regress just a bit and give out hugs freely? Yeah, that's what Harry thought.

"Oh, thanks for the new clothes s- Remus and Sirius." Harry looked down at the t-shirt he was wearing once again with a smile on his face. He liked it. He really did. He saw the snitch zoom in the frame of the t-shirt before disappearing amongst the bludgers again. _Wicked_!

"That was all Remus," Sirius offered.

"Yeah, with _your_ money, Padfoot."

Sirius shrugged it off and stared at his god-son for a moment. "So what do you want to do today? There's tons of things to do around here."

Harry thought for a moment and then shrugged. He looked up from his shirt and his green eyes seemed determined. He knew what he wanted! "Could I..." Harry trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed.

Before Sirius could tease the poor boy or ask what was wrong, Remus said, "You can do whatever you want, Harry. What is it?" Remus looked a bit bemused by the boy's silence and Sirius just wanted to hug him again.

"Well," mumbled Harry, suddenly finding his feet _very_ interesting, "I was wondering if... you wouldn't mind... if I did my homework? Or at least if I got started on it?"

Sirius' laugh echoed through the apartment and Harry looked at him with a very perplexed expression. Was that a _no_? His aunt and uncle hadn't let him freely do his homework and here was this new guardian who was laughing like it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard! That made Harry feel quite uneasy.

Remus rolled his eyes at his crazy companion's laughter. "Of _course_ you can do your homework, Harry. That's very responsible of you!" Remus was offering the boy praise and he would more than likely continue with the positive reinforcement; it was no secret that, after what they had seen at his aunt and uncles, Harry had been denied most any form of it. _He's more like Lily than I would have guessed,_ thought Remus. Lily would do homework during the summer _and_ she'd read ahead because she thought it was interesting. Remus, too, had been that way (but his genes had played no part in the young man that Harry had become).

Sirius had sobered as Remus started talking. "Yeah, sure, Har. Why don't you go grab something to work on? I'm sure Remus and I could help you if you need it."

"Thanks!" Harry quickly scurried down the hall and opened his trunk with ease. He selected his potions book - Snape had assigned a particularly nasty essay that had to be fifteen inches long! The bastard!

Seeing which book Harry brought back out to the kitchen table caused Sirius to pull a face and mutter something about "no good greasy gits who can't do anything with their lives except harass perfectly _normal_ students." Remus had kicked Sirius under the table and said something about co-workers and being _civil, _but Harry didn't seem to pay any attention to the exchange.

Harry diligently worked on his potions essay for about forty-five minutes (and he accomplished to write about five inches in that time!) before his wrist seized up. It was awkward going from using a quill and ink well to not writing at all to going back to using the quill. Harry's handwriting had far improved from his first year, but there was still a lot of room from bettering it. It would take some time getting used to it. Muggles just didn't have to worry about quills and ink and parchment. It was just another wrench thrown into Harry's seemingly normal life (although he loved his life in the wizarding world).

Seeing Harry massage his tender wrist caused Sirius to become annoyed with the Potions Master. Not only was he a greasy git who sold his soul to the dark lord and could not be trusted under any circumstance, but he was using his power as the Head of Slytherin and Potions Master to harass students! Sirius would make sure that he evened the odds some by awarding nonsense points to Gryffindor. He _knew_ that he wasn't _supposed_ to use his position to better one house over the other, but Sirius was a Marauder for Merlin's sake! Since when did Marauder's _ever_ do as they were told? Besides, he wouldn't be treating one house above the rest - nah, Sirius was kind enough to help spread the wealth to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, too. Moony would probably do the same (and, to an even further extent, since Defense was required for most students and career paths!).

"Come on, Harry! Let's go do something fun!" Sirius had always been exuberant and he was glad to see that his stunt in Azkaban hadn't altered that too much. He had nightmares sometimes about what he saw when the Dementor's were praying on his too weak mind, but he was otherwise unscratched. He would definitely be getting even better now because he had Remus _and_ Harry with him. _Soon, everything will be like it was,_ Sirius promised himself with a small, tight smile.

Harry looked up from his wrist uncertainly. "Like what?"

"Do you have a broom?"

"It's a sin if he doesn't, Padfoot. After all, he _is_ James' son and we'd have to remedy that," Remus commented as he nearly waltzed into the kitchen. He had been in his bedroom after he had become fed up of having to listen to Sirius carry on about Snape as if they were still teenagers.

"Nah, I've got one," Harry said with a grin. His heart skipped a beat before he broke out of his usual shyness around the men and proclaimed, "_I_ was the youngest seeker in a century for Gryffindor!"

Sirius didn't miss that one. Being the ever buffed Quidditch fan (although his stint in Azkaban had left him slightly out of the loop on some of his more favorite teams), Sirius knew what that meant. "_You_ were chosen to play for the house in first year?"

"Sirius, don't be stupid! That never happens!"

Harry had a shy smile on his face as Remus said that. His confident green eyes, however, shone brightly as he said, "Malfoy stole Neville's Rememberall during our flying lesson and I saved it. McGonagall saw and instead of getting me into trouble, she gave me the position."

"Brilliant, Harry! So do you wanna go out and fly? What kind of broom do you have?"

"Yeah! That'd be awesome! I've got a Nimbus 2000! It's great!" Harry really did love his Nimbus 2000. Sure, Malfoy had a Nimbus 2001, but it couldn't be any better than Harry's broom. Besides, a broom was only as good as the person flying it.

Quickly the man and boy raced through the small apartment to gather the proper clothes and their brooms. With a hurried shout to Remus, they were out the door. The aging wizard sat at the table and shook his head. _Boys will be boys_, he reminded himself with a sigh. _Besides, James would think it a sin if Harry _didn't _act this way over flying. James... you'd be so proud of your son. I'm going to take good care of him, I promise._

Harry and Sirius spent several sunshine filled hours perfecting Harry's wronksi feint and laughing and getting to know each other. Harry learned that his father had been an excellent chaser (Sirius had, modestly, added that he had played Beater). Lily, Harry's mother, hadn't been too fond of the sport, but that didn't stop her husband from insisting that Harry would be flying by the age of two. As if to help solidify that notion, Sirius had bought Harry a miniature broomstick for his first - and _only_ Christmas - that he had spent with his parents and their friends. Harry relished in hearing these stories. They had been a treat for him.

"Well, y'know, the Cannons are an amazing team--"

"Merlin, Sirius! Now you sound like Ron! The Cannons aren't an amazing team! No, that'd have to go to..."

The two boys bickered back and forth as they entered the apartment, knowing that it was all in jest. A somber Remus, nursing a cup of tea, sat at the kitchen table. Sirius, on the defense already, growled low. "Oh, come on, Remus! We weren't out for that long! It's not like you think I can't keep him safe!"

"That's not what I'm all upset about, Sirius!"

"Then what is it?!"

Harry exchanged a wary glance between the two adults in his life. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know. For the most part, they both seemed very laid back and calm. If something got Remus this upset... well, what could possibly even achieve that?

"Professor Dumbledore stopped by while the two of you were out."

"If this has anything to do with him insisting that I keep Harry inside--"

"_Shut up, Sirius!_ No, it was about something far more grave than your stupidity."

"What is it?" Sirius' voice was clearly frustrated and annoyed; his dark brows had furrowed in obvious confusion. Harry felt the pit of his stomach start to hurt and he just _knew_. He knew that this security wouldn't last. It had been only hours, but something had gone dreadfully wrong.

"There was an accident today, on the way to Azkaban."

Sirius' face flickered with emotion. He put an arm around Harry's shoulders instinctively and pulled the boy close. "And...?" Sirius didn't want to know. He already knew. It had been in the paper's yesterday morning. Front page headlines and all. _**Pettigrew Trial Concludes; Man Sentenced for Life!**_ But this? This news was connected to _that_ news. Harry grabbed his guardians hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, but neither of them had looked away from Remus' worried face.

"Worm--- _Pettigrew_, Sirius. He managed to escape."


	6. five

Disclaimer: This all belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling! :)

It took the majority of the night to convince Harry that he would, in fact, be safe at the small flat. Knowing that Peter Pettigrew, the man who was responsible for his parents demise, was on the run was a very unsettling thing for anyone to deal with. Given all that had happened lately, Remus was surprised at how well Harry was holding up. _Clearly, the sorting hat put him in the right place, _Remus mused silently as Harry picked at his supper. Still, Harry wasn't being completely fearless.

Harry's fear wasn't unjustified at all; Peter Pettigrew was, obviously, a very dangerous man. He had killed twelve muggles with the flick of a wand in broad daylight, not caring that his former best friend was going to go to prison for it. He had handed over the location of James and Lily Potter without any remorse. That was _not_ the Peter - the Wormtail, if you must - that Sirius and Remus had known in school. And this Peter, one that was cunning enough to escape an Auror on his way to Azkaban, was not someone they recognized.

It was no surprise to either of the men when Harry didn't leave Sirius' side. He had grown rather attached to his god-father in the short few days that he had lived with the man. Remus speculated that he just _knew_ that Sirius was good, deep down. Someone to trust. Sirius' thought process was a little darker and rested on the feeling that Harry had been severely mistreated at his relatives house, making any sort of acknowledgement pure bliss. Neither man had wanted to ask Harry about his relatives.

"C'mon, Har, let's get you to bed," Sirius murmured around eight-thirty. The boy was clearly exhausted and half passed out on Sirius already. Sirius had been holding him close while the news played on the television (a muggle box contraption that people lived in, Sirius had gathered. He was certain that Lily would know better how to explain it, or perhaps even Harry, but now was not the time nor the place to worry about it.).

Lily's - or rather, Harry's - shocking green eyes popped open and peered at Sirius dubiously. He pulled himself closer to Sirius, if possible, and shook his head. Sirius shot Remus a pleading look and the other man shrugged. He knew nothing about twelve year old boys, especially twelve year old boys that acted like they had never been cuddled with. Remus had read several child development books over the years since Harry's birth and this was a tell-tale sign of neglect on the Dursley's part; combined with the things that Albus Dumbledore had told him about Harry's arrival at the school (the underfed look that Harry seemed to have, for instance), everything seemed to collaborate, unfortunately.

"Okay," Sirius said softly, standing up. Harry started to protest but Sirius held him tight. "You can sleep in my bed for the night. But only for tonight," he added in a warning tone. He didn't want _that_ to become a habit. The boy would have to learn that he was safe here. Sirius wasn't quite so sure of how to accomplish that, but it was on his growing to-do list.

Walking down the hallway, Sirius set Harry down outside of Harry's bedroom door. "Go change into your pajamas," prompted Sirius and Harry nodded. He scurried into the bedroom and closed the door behind him, searching for his sleep pants. He didn't wear a shirt to bed at night right now because it was so warm out - normally boxers or pants would do just find.

Harry opened the door quickly about thirty seconds after he had closed it, his dirty clothes lying on a heap in the middle of his floor. _Like father, like son_ mused Sirius with a grin. He held out a hand and Harry quickly took it, trailing behind slightly as they marched to Sirius' room.

"Will you stay 'till I fall asleep?" asked Harry in a sleepy voice as he pulled his glasses off and set them on the nightstand.

"Sure."

Sirius climbed onto the bed and lied next Harry, playing with a couple particularly wild strands of his hair while Harry worked on falling asleep. The boy didn't quite look twelve years old, and he certainly didn't look like he was going to be thirteen anytime soon. He was far too thin and he was quite lanky. Some of the characteristics had been displayed in James, but he was most certainly undernourished.

_I'm sorry I didn't get custody of him sooner; I'm sorry that I let eleven long years pass while he lived with her family, Prongs. I feel like I've let you both down,_ contemplated Sirius as he studied Harry's frame. He was James' son through and through - there was no doubt in that. But when he opened his eyes - _her_ eyes - all Sirius could think was Lily. Lily, the angel with the most beautiful eyes. Lily, his saving grace.

Once, right before the wedding, he had told Lily what she meant to him. Lily hadn't laughed or even gotten mad. No, that would be too un-Lily like. Rather, she held his hand and kissed his cheek and hugged him and told him that she loved him (_but not in that way_). He had swallowed and nodded and disapparated to The Hogs Head, where he drank a considerable amount of Firewhiskey.

Aside from him and Lily, no one had ever known. Dumbledore knew, now, but that was it. Aside from him and Dumbledore, no one would ever know how Sirius had _really_ felt about his best mate's wife.

Once he was certain that the young boy was firmly asleep, Sirius slipped out and quietly padded back to the living room where his favorite git was handing a potion to Remus. "Oi, Snivellus, I didn't invite you into my house!"

Remus shot Sirius an annoyed look as he took the smoking potion that Snape was handing him. "Sirius, shut up for once in your life."

"Don't worry, _Black_, I'm just giving your favorite lycanthrope his potion so he won't murder the stupid Boy-Who-Lived."

"Don't drink it, Remus! It could be poisoned!"

"Sirius, _shut up_! It's the bloody wolfsbane for Merlin's sake!"

"How do you know he didn't poison it?" Remus tipped the potion to his lips in response and shuddered as he drank the crude potion. But if this worked the way that it was supposed to... then it'd all be worth it, right?

Snape's lip curled and his eyes narrowed. "You could only _wish_ I'd kill him off, Black. Save you a hell of a lot of trouble. Have you told the brat yet?"

Sirius had whipped out his wand and aimed it at Severus Snape. "I was imprisoned for eleven years, Snape. Give me a reason and I'll go back."

"Now, now, Sirius, would you really leave the boy to go back to the muggles?" Snape was mocking him now, and Sirius just wouldn't have that. He opened his mouth and started to say _something_, but Remus shoved his way between the two overgrown boys.

"Would you two stop it, already? You'll wake Harry. _Stop it_ this instant." Remus' eyes glowered as he looked between the two men. Snape pulled away from Remus' hand first and turned back to the fire place.

"If you wouldn't mind coming to Hogwarts to get the potion tomorrow, then, Remus, I'll see you then." Snape paused a moment before throwing the floo powder into the fireplace and saying _Hogwarts!_ He disappeared into the green flames that engulfed his body.

Remus turned back to face Sirius and firmly smacked him in the arm. "You _stupid git_! You are _so_ immature, Padfoot!"

"Well how do you know that he didn't poison it!?" Sirius demanded to know as he rubbed his now red arm.

"Because he's not thick, Sirius. Dumbledore would know exactly what had happened if I dropped dead and Severus would be sacked so fast that he wouldn't know what hit him!"

"Yes, but --"

"Please, Padfoot. This is my _one chance_ to be _normal_," Remus stressed, looking at his best friend with pleading eyes. "Please just drop the childhood antics. He's not completely horrible-"

Sirius cut him off, infuriated. "Yes, because being Death Eater scum makes you not horrible! Really, Remus! I don't know what's gotten into you!"

"He repented! Dumbledore wouldn't let him anywhere _near_ the students if he thought Snape was a bad man! Get that through your thick head this instant!"

"How do you know he's not just saying that he's seen the light?" Sirius demanded, crossing his arms over his chest in a very childish manner.

"I _trust_ Dumbledore; the same man that risked everything to convince Fudge that _you were innocent_! Or did you forget that small act of kindness that Dumbledore showed you the other week?"

"Of course I haven't forgotten! But I've not got a blooming dark mark on my arm, now do I?"

"It doesn't matter, Sirius! Snape has _seen the light_ and Dumbledore trusts him! That is good enough for me and it should be more than good enough for you!"

"Well it's not!"

"Well you better suck it up and start acting like an adult then, because in a few short months, we'll be staff alongside Severus! And I won't be breaking up any of your stupid fights then."

"Good! I don't need you to fight my battles for me!"

"You're _impossible_, Black!" And with that, Remus turned on his heel and stalked off to his bedroom, making to slam the door in a very aggravated point.

Sirius sank into one of the arm chairs with a heavy sigh; the two men hadn't fought like that since Merlin-know's-when. It was most certainly during the first war; something that would have caused both James and Sirius to believe that _Remus_ was the traitor and not Peter. Something that would have caused their lives to be so completely altered that they'd refuse to see the truth until it was too late. Remus and Sirius hadn't really spoken about that particular moment, but it seemed like _this_ fight, tonight, had been years in the making.

In a small way, Sirius could see what Remus meant. Sirius _did_ need to grow up and stop treating Snape like complete and utter shit. But Snape provoked him half of the time and the other half... Well, Sirius had never completely grown up in some aspects. He still fully expected to wake up tomorrow and take a stroll down the block to where Lily and James lived in Godric's Hollow and pop in for a bit of breakfast and a quick game of pick up Quidditch before heading out to work. Sirius, in some ways, had been so mentally hurt in Azkaban that he couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that _**James was not coming back**_.

In one short night, Sirius had lost his other half, his brother, his only living family. He had lost the part of his life that was _Sirius-and-James-don't-you-dare-blow-that-up-again_; the _Sirius-Black-and-James-Potter-that's-another-fifty-points-from-Gryffindor-and-I-am-so-disappointed-in-the-both-of-you! _; the _Potter-you're-supposed-to-keep-Black-in-line-because-you're-head-boy! _Sirius had lost the woman he loved, his soul mate (he was sure of that), his other best friend. In one short night, Sirius had lost his god-son. In short, Sirius had lost his reason to live and had resigned himself to the nightmare of Azkaban, as if he completely deserved _that_.

And Sirius had lost Remus. The man he had doubted. The man that he should have known better to doubt. The man that he should have known would do anything _but_ turn to Lord Voldemort.

Tomorrow, he'd make everything better.

And with that promise, he quietly walked back to his room and collapsed neatly into bed next to his slumbering god-son.

•••••••••••••••••

It had been nearly two weeks since _"the incident,"_ as it was now known. Harry still wasn't quite sure with what had transpired between the two men, just that they had seemed rather glum in the morning after Remus had announced Pettigrew's escape and that they had a hushed conversation when they thought Harry was too absorbed in his potions essay to care.

The three men had made it through their first full moon together. Remus had spent the time curled up in his room and Sirius had occasionally gone in to check on him. Harry hadn't been permitted to see Remus until the next day, and even then he could only stay for a little bit because, although the potion made Remus' transformation _a lot_ better, it still took a lot out of him.

Harry's relationship with the two men was growing stronger and healthier as time passed. Sirius was like his best friend or his big brother. Remus was the practical one who noticed things like when they were running down on food or the one who would and could help Harry with his homework. Sirius was just all around fun and didn't put too much emphasis on school work, which was fine by Harry.

And today? Today was Harry's thirteenth birthday!

He had never had a proper birthday party before. He liked the idea of it and, although he felt bad that Sirius and Remus were going out of their way for all this trouble, he was secretly excited. Okay, maybe his consistent bouncing up and down was taking away the secret half of the excitement, but he couldn't help it! He couldn't remember the last time someone had celebrated his birthday (although Sirius had shown him pictures from his first birthday. There had even been rides on Stags... although Sirius claimed that had been James.).

The best part of this whole birthday thing was that the Weasleys and Hermione would be in attendance, along with other people. They were having it in the field that Harry and Sirius had taken to playing Quidditch in. Dumbledore assured them that the wards stretched that far and that it was perfectly safe. And, so far, the sun was shining down brightly on Britain today.

"Come on, Harry!" called Sirius as he opened the front door to their flat. "The Weasleys and Hermione and the other guests will be here any moment!"

"Coming!" Harry shouted as he pulled on his shoes, hopping towards the front door. Remus trailed behind, rolling his eyes at the site of the two _boys_ who were overexcited. And soon they'd have tons and tons of sugary substances in them! Oh, was Remus in for a fun night!

Sirius and Harry raced to the field. Sirius purposefully let Harry win, since it was his birthday and all (or that's what Sirius was telling himself, anyway. He was vehemently denying that he was getting older in any fashion, thank you very much!). Remus was slower than the other two and appeared about two minutes later, amused at the site before him. Sirius and Harry were rolling around in the grass, clearly wrestling. For a moment, Remus had to remind himself that it was _not_ Sirius and James but Sirius and _Harry_, the baby that had been born... well, not yesterday, but it sure felt like that.

A shout of laughter emitted through the air and several figures (mostly red haired, but there was _one_ bushy brunette girl in the mix) were tossed to the ground. The only two people that were still standing were the parents of the bunch - Arthur and Molly Weasley. Sirius and Harry immediately stopped wrestling and got to their feet, ready to greet the family.

"Ouch!"

"Ger'rof, Perce!"

"Yeah, Percy! Get off!"

"Oh, be quiet, the two of you!" exclaimed the oldest boy, who disentangled himself first. Percy stuck out his chest with an air of importance as he walked over to his mother's side, wiping off his horn rimmed glasses as he did so.

The next two that were up were the twins, Fred and George. They were wearing mischievous, identical looks and Harry felt slightly uneasy at the thought of it.

"Come, Ron! Get off your sister!" Molly chastised her youngest son who rolled his eyes and stood up. It seemed as if Ron had grown several feet from the last time Harry had seen him! Okay, more like four inches, but to Harry, who was pretty much the same as when the term had ended, it seemed like a lot.

"Heya, mate," called Ron as he helped the third member of their trio up.

"Harry!" Hermione called enthusiastically as she ran to Harry and flung her arms around him. For the last second before Harry's glasses were knocked askew, he watched as Ginny got to her feet, her cheeks bright red. "How've you been? I can't believe that you're not living with your horrid aunt and uncle anymore!"

"Can't... breathe... Hermione!"

"Oh, sorry," she said with a small grin as she let go of him. "You look good, Harry," she added as Ron walked over to the pair. Sirius had walked over to Molly and Arthur to chat about school - presumably - and Remus was already engaged in a conversation with Percy (who seemed to be _sure_ that he was going to be named Head Boy).

"Thanks, you too, 'Mione. Merlin, Ron! Did your mum use miracle grow on you or what?"

"Miracle what?"

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Never mind, mate. It's good to see you! How was Egypt? Remus told me that your family won some gold!"

"Man! It was great! We even tried to lock Percy into a tomb there, but someone noticed and stopped us. But, Merlin, it was _fantastic_. You'd of loved it there, I'm sure..."

Ron, Harry, and Hermione made their way to the table that had been set up and began talking about their summers in earnest. Even though they had seen each other just a month or so prior, it felt like _forever_. Fred and George were off plotting _something_ (and Molly kept shooting the twins uneasy looks, as if they were planning on blowing up Harry's birthday cake); Ginny was hovering rather close to Molly and Arthur (Ron insisted that whatever embarrassment she previously felt by being around Harry was now intensified ten fold because he had saved her life); Remus and Percy were _still_ chatting about Merlin-knows-what; Sirius was just talking with great ease and a casual smile to Molly and Arthur. Today couldn't be any better, in Harry's opinion.

With a loud roar and a loud crack, two more figures showed up, adding to the party buzz.

The loud roar was coming from the sky, causing the trio to look up and squint into the sun. In looked distinctively like a flying _motorcycle_. Harry slowly recalled a dream from two summers ago - from before he knew that he didn't belong in a world that wasn't magical - that had surrounded itself around a flying motorbike. And... was that really possible? He had written it off as fake back then. Sure, he and Ron had flown a car to Hogwarts the previous year... but a flying motorcycle? Like something out of his dream?

_Wow!_

The motorbike landed roughly in the field and came to a stop about twenty feet away from Sirius. Sirius became animated very quickly. "Merlin! No way, Hagrid! Is this it?!"

"Yup. I thought it might be time ter return 'er to you. Good as when you gave it to me 'n everythin', Sirius. I took goo' care o' 'er, I swear!"

Sirius rushed over to the motorbike and began inspecting it. It was like it was his long lost child or something. The way he was looking at it made Remus start to chuckle, followed in by everyone else.

"Hagrid... this is... _amazing_!" Sirius seriously seemed like he was at a loss for words.

"I jus' thought you'd like ter 'ave 'er again," Hagrid said gruffly. "She's a good bike; bes' 'ere is!"

Harry turned to see where the other noise he had heard had come from - the cracking noise. Coming at them from the other side was --

"PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE! HEADMASTER!" exclaimed Percy exuberantly.

Ron dipped his head, trying not to laugh. "He just wants to know who head boy is!" Ron and Harry laughed and Hermione simply glared at them. It was clear to Harry that she wanted one day to be head girl and she'd more than likely be worse than Percy was. Great! What fun to look forward to in a few short years.

And, indeed, they could hear Percy inquire about the Hogwarts letters. "All in good time, my dear boy, all in good time. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they go out tomorrow or the day after," Dumbledore added with a wink as he made a beeline to Harry and his friends.

"Hey Professor," Harry said shyly, smiling at the Headmaster.

"Hello Harry! Happy birthday, my dear boy! Would you like a lemon drop?"

"Er, no, thanks. Thank you for coming, though."

"I'm afraid that I won't be able to stay long. I just wanted to talk to your guardians about something and then I've got to be on my way. Seems as if I've got to choose a head boy." Dumbledore winked at the trio and they all smiled. Ron had to cough back a laugh as Percy shot him a disapproving look.

"Sorry, Professor. It's just he's been an insufferable git this summer."

"I can only imagine your suffering, Mr. Weasley. Now, Harry, how is your living situation treating you?"

Harry would have taken a moment to think about it, but it wasn't necessary. He knew exactly what he wanted to say. "Oh, it's the best, Professor Dumbledore! Thank you very much for letting Sirius and Remus take me in! They're so much fun!"

"Good, I'm glad that you're enjoying your time with them. Now, if you don't mind..." Dumbledore murmured as he trailed over to Remus, who was still watching Sirius inspect the bike with much amusement.

Dumbledore and the two men seemed to discuss whatever they needed to in a quick manner because there was another sudden crack and Dumbledore was gone. Soon after that, Sirius announced that it was time for cake and he unveiled the cake that he had been hiding from Harry all day. It was in the shape of a snitch and said **Happy Birthday, Harry!** in ruby red icing -- gryffindor colors! Harry blew out all thirteen candles in one breath and everyone clapped.

It was quickly revealed what Fred and George had been planning because, as soon as they were handed their pieces of cake, they started their twin thing.

"Y'know George," started Fred, eyeing his brother with a marvelous grin.

"I'm not really hungry either, Fred!"

"But you know what?"

"Oh, I know exactly what you're thinking!"

And with that, two pieces of cake were launched at Percy's head. Much hilarity ensued as Mrs. Weasley tried to call order to the group. Just about everyone else - including Sirius - got involved with the cake fight. By the end of it, it was decided that they much rather wear the cake than actually eat it.

By the end of the party - which had included Harry receiving gifts (a sneakoscope from Ron, a book of _monsters_ from Hagrid, some sort of date book from Hermione, and numerous other gifts that Harry had no idea how to work) and a quick game of pick up Quidditch - Harry was quite tired, as were his guardians. With the wave of his wand, Remus had the party completely packed up. Sirius had already cemented plans to meet up in Diagon Alley for book shopping in the upcoming weeks, which would be a plus.

It was funny to think, Harry thought, that the most simple things, like having a birthday party in the sun with those who cared about you around you, made all the difference in the world.

For just once in his short life, Harry Potter had gotten exactly what he wanted: a day, not as the boy-who-lived, but one celebrated as any other teenager would celebrate. And for him, that was enough.


	7. six

Disclaimer: This all belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling! :)

As Albus had promised, a tawny owl arrived at the small flat the day following Harry's birthday, proclaiming his needs for the following year. Harry was pleased to see the _Book of Monsters_ on the book list (Sirius swore that it was Hagrid's idea, not his); Remus couldn't help but smile a bit at seeing a book that _he_ had selected for his course. The book list this year was far shorter than it had been; it seemed that having Lockhart off the Hogwarts Staff had its positives.

Unlike the first couple of weeks of living with Remus and Sirius, Harry's guardians weren't around much for the two weeks following the arrival of the Hogwarts Letter. Sure, sure, they were _in_ the flat (or Remus was), but they were busy doing lesson plans and making up things to do once they got to the school. Seems that Dumbledore had thought they ought to make themselves look like _real_ Professors, especially since some of the Board of Directors for the school were mad that Dumbledore was allowing a former convict and a werewolf inside the halls of the school. They weren't allowed to make that knowledge public, but Harry had a feeling that Remus' condition would leak out by the end of the year.

Sirius had been spending most of his time up at the school with Hagrid. Every morning, Sirius would get up early, shine his motorbike, and fly out to Hagrid's hut to plan their school lessons. He always came home just in time for dinner, slightly smelling like brandy, and looking younger than Harry had seen him look since he came to live with him nearly a month earlier. It was sort of comical.

Finally, on August tenth, Sirius announced that he and Remus were taking Harry to Diagon Alley, where they would meet up with the Weasley Family and Hermione to get their book shopping done. Harry could hardly contain himself until mid-morning, when Sirius said that it was time to go.

They apparated to Diagon Alley (Harry side-alonged with Sirius and did not appreciate the uncomfortable feeling that apparation seemed to cause. He'd take flooing or a broomstick _or_ an illegal-flying-car over that sensation any day). Harry almost got sick from dizziness, but the feeling passed rather quickly.

"You did well, pup," congratulated Sirius as they strolled down the street, looking for a burst of red hair amongst the crowd. There were posters all over the windows shouting _**HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WIZARD?**_ followed with Peter Pettigrew's photograph. Just the sight of the man made Harry feel slightly uneasy inside. He slid into Sirius' side a little bit more, just as he heard his name called from down the street. Sirius nodded his head once and Harry took off running, weaving and zigzagging through the crowd of people until he got to Ron and his family.

"Harry!" chastised Mrs. Weasley, "You really shouldn't run off like that! You know that Pettigrew is--"

"Easy, Molly," came Sirius' lazy voice as he and Remus caught up with the boy. Harry watched Remus shoot Sirius an uneasy glance, as if he were agreeing with Molly, too, but he said nothing.

"Sirius Black! You should really know better than to allow Harry to..."

The adults continued to talk and Harry rolled his eyes to show Ron that it was boring him. The twins motioned silently to Harry to follow them and the group of four of them snuck away from the adults that were now bickering about what was _best_ for darling Mr. Potter. Ironically, none of them seemed to notice that he was missing.

"What's going on?" Harry hissed quietly as they tucked into a small crevice off the way from the street. The adults wouldn't be able to see them here.

"Yeah, honestly, guys! Mum's gonna have a cat when she realizes that we're gone!"

"Awh, is ickle-Ronniekins scared of mummy? Run along back to her, then. This concerns Harry, mostly, anyway." Fred's words were slightly harsh and they caused Ron's cheeks to flood with a flaming color that could rival his hair.

"Well, what is it?" Demanded Harry impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest in an almost defeated way. He _was_ wary of what the twins were about to say or do, but it seems that Harry had picked up a slight attitude from living with Sirius. Remus had warned Sirius that this would happen, but Sirius shrugged it off.

George raised an eyebrow at Harry's attitude, but pulled a blank sheet of paper that was slightly crinkled and was folded almost like a pamphlet from his robes. "What's that? Old homework?" asked Ron, snorting as Fred unfolded it.

"No, don't be a prat, Ron. Shut up," warned George as he raised his wand. Tapping the paper lightly, George and Fred said in unison: "I solemnly swear I am up to no good!"

Before their eyes, a map of -- was that _really _Hogwarts?! -- the school became quite detailed. Across the top of the map, the words _**"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, purveyors of aids to magical mischief-makers, are proud to present the Marauders Map" **_ appeared.

It was clearly Hogwarts. There was no way around it. The castle stood in all it's magnificence. Whomever had made this map had put quite a bit of effort and detail into the process. Upon closer inspection (Harry's nose was quite nearly touching the parchment at this point), he realized that the lines making up the skeleton of the school were latin words. But this map seemed to have everything. The men who had made this seemed to put a great deal of thought and effort into it. It really was a great tool...

"Wait - Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs?" gulped Harry, looking up at the twins.

"Yes! We very nearly-"

"-Owe them everything we are. Without them-"

"-We'd just be your average mischief makers."

"I k-know them," stuttered Harry as he paled slightly. How much trouble would he get in if he took this? If they found it? They'd certainly know how to work it!

"Really, mate?!" Ron exclaimed. These were the first words that Ron had uttered since the map had come to life; he had been too busy gaping at the map with an open mouth.

"Yeah, really. Remus is Moony. Sirius is Padfoot. My dad, he was Prongs. And Wormtail is..." Harry's voice dropped to a low whisper, "Peter Pettigrew. They were all best friends at school. I'd no idea that they made something like _this_ though. It's brilliant."

Fred and George looked shocked for a moment and then they grinned brightly at each other. Clapping Harry on his arm, they let out a pearl of laughter. "Well, mate, you can just say we were keeping it safe for you!"

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, his green eyes screwing up slightly in his head as he looked from twin to twin. Ron ogled his brothers, too.

Fred rolled his eyes and put a hand on his hip, his red hair casually falling into his eyes. "You need to screw your head on straight, Harry! We're-"

"-Planning on giving it to _you_. Ronnie-"

"-Told us that Sirius won't sign your Hogsmede slip-"

"-on account of Pettigrew still being on the loose. This is-"

"-Your ticket to Freedom!"

Harry was silent for a moment. He knew that if Sirius and Remus were to find out, he'd more than likely get skinned alive. But at the same time, if Remus and Sirius and his father had _made_ this, then it was safe, right? It wasn't anything like Tom Riddle's diary. And, how hypocritical was it of them to not allow Harry to go to Hogsmede while they, themselves, had been off doing Merlin knows what with this map!

It wasn't really fair that Harry wasn't allowed to go to Hogsmede, anyway. Sirius was just being unfair and Remus refused to comment on what he thought of the whole situation. When the slip had come, it had caused the first major argument between Harry and Sirius, which had been fine since they weren't seeing as much of each other with Sirius working on his lesson plans and what not. Sirius thought that it was far too dangerous for Harry to be running around Hogsmede (and Harry secretly believed that Remus supported Sirius in this decision because he thought it was the _right_ one). Harry, on the other hand, said that it wasn't fair to be banned from Hogsmede because there would always be tons of people around. Sirius wasn't having any of it, though, and he was remaining firm on that issue.

But if Fred and George had a way into Hogsmede...

"I'm in," he said finally, eagerly. "Show me how to work it!"

Five minutes later and a quick explanation of how they had come to have the map, Harry was tucking the blank pamphlet of paper into his robes. The four of them emerged from the little crevice that they had crammed into and spread onto the street.

"Mum! There they are!" exclaimed a young girl's voice. Harry recognized it as Ginny's voice. Ginny was Ron's younger sister that Harry had saved during the previous school year from a fanged Basalisk operating on orders from Tom Riddle - Young Lord Voldemort, in other words. She had always been shy around Harry and she turned a bright red as her mother caught up to where she was standing.

Harry shrunk backwards a bit as Molly's eyes scowled at the group of boys. "Gone! We looked up from our conversation and you four were _gone_! These are not the days that you go running off for fun! What in Merlin's name were the four of you doing!"

Ron and Harry exchanged nervous looks but Fred and George just _laughed_ at their mother. "Mum, calm down. It's not like Pettigrew is going to stroll down the street and kidnap four teenagers. He's not _that_ bright."

"He escaped from a fully trained Auror. You'd do you best to not forget that," muttered Sirius darkly, coming up behind them. Harry spun on his heels and met his god-father's dark eyes with a worried expression. Remus appeared behind Sirius, but he hung back. He had made it clear that unless Sirius wasn't present, he would _not_ be disciplining Harry. He felt as if it wasn't his job.

"I'm sorry, Sirius. I didn't mean to worry. But, y'guys were yelling and stuff and there was that new Firebolt in the window and I wanted to see that. Fred and George took Ron and me down there to see that. We _tried_ to tell you." Harry _had_ heard of the new broomstick - a Firebolt - that was supposed to best his Nimbus 2000, but he hadn't actually seen one in person. Sirius knew how much Harry loved Quidditch, so could he really be _that_ upset? Harry hadn't lied to Sirius before, so hopefully he wouldn't see through it. Remus looked a bit speculative, and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. Sirius, on the other hand, seemed to buy the lie quite easily.

Sirius kneeled down to Harry's eye level and pulled Harry into a quick hug. Sirius couldn't really be mad with Harry; he'd have done the same thing if he had been in Harry's shoes. In fact, he remembered _James_ causing his parents the same fright when he was thirteen or fourteen. Like father, like son, it seemed. "It's okay, Harry. We were just worried. Don't _ever_ do anything like that again!"

Molly's lips were pursed and they stayed that way until they were all done with the book and robe shopping. Three hours later, she finally relented when she gave Harry an extra tight hug and told him that she'd see him in a few weeks at the train station (she emphasized that he _would_ be riding the train this year, as would Ron). A quick goodbye with Ron and then Harry side-alonged with Sirius again.

After Harry had put his new school books away, he took the map out of his robes and tucked it gently between the folds of his invisibility cloak. Sirius and Remus respected Harry's things - especially those that had belonged to his parents - a great deal and would never go looking through his trunk like that. It wasn't like Harry tried to hide things often, but something told him that this map was something that he _should_ hide.

As Harry drifted off to sleep that night, he had visions of running around with Ron and Hermione in the quaint wizarding village.

_Author's Note - Sorry that it took me forever to post this. Work plus school work plus mid-terms is not conductive to my writing. And, I know that this chapter seems a bit _rushed._ I needed to move the story line along and I'm still pleased with where this is going for the next several chapters. Please review this story, too! I really appreciate all the reviews. I'm going to try to reply to each review I get, too, so let me know what you think! :) Thanks! _


	8. HIATUS

Hey guys!

I'm sorry if you think this is me updating or something, but I just got a concerned PM; I honestly did not realize it had been since February that I had updated this story. I did not mean for it to go so long without an update, but as life goes, one thing lead to another... and you get the drift. Anyway, I am going to be moving back to my apartment in a month or so and that is a much more conductive place for me to write (compared to where I am now). I will TRY to update before then, but I can't make any promises. However, if you're stuck with me this long, you definitely deserve my thanks. I am so, so, so very sorry for the wait.

My deepest apologies,

twilightscallingme


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